


And If We're All Just Soldiers

by Taste_is_Sweet



Series: Soldiers of Fire and Shadows [15]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Community: picfor1000, Crossover, Epiphanies, Gen, Jughead Jones Needs a Hug, Really Bad Epiphanies, Super Soldier Serum, The Riverdale crossover no one asked for, the road to hell is paved with good intentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 02:26:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13354536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taste_is_Sweet/pseuds/Taste_is_Sweet
Summary: That's not the end of the world. That just started it, because when Jughead asked her why she didn't want him, Gladys said:I'm sorry. I love you, but you're not really my son.Because heknowshe's Gladys Jones' son. He looks like her; he looks like Jellybean. He's seen the picture of him as a wizened, incubated baby, with tubes everywhere and terror behind his parents' smiles. So if he's not really her son, what the hell is he?





	And If We're All Just Soldiers

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from the song [Jennifer Lost The War](https://youtu.be/HonOvlCGqFk). The song is by The Offspring, but I prefer this cover.
> 
> This fic was inspired by [this photo prompt](https://unsplash.com/photos/qeU2OcXL-IQ), via the [A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words Dreamwidth Community.](https://picfor1000.dreamwidth.org/) I'd been thinking of adding Riverdale to this ~~mess~~ series for a while, because Jughead. What better way to bring him in than cupcakes and misery?
> 
> This story takes place in January of 2016, around the same time as [There Is no Lie that You Can Live In](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10996125)

Jughead Jones doesn't consider himself an optimist. He has, in his heart of hearts, always expected the world to end, bang or whimper optional. He just never expected it to end over cupcakes at 11:48 on a Tuesday night.

His mother doesn't want him. Jughead kind of knew that, but only like people say they knew something bad was going to happen after the fact. Gladys never hugged him much. She didn't spend much time with him. She didn't play with him much or seem that interested in what he did at school. 

It wasn't that Jughead deceived himself; he just didn't know. Not until Jellybean came along and got all the hugs and playtime and conversations he didn't. Even then, he figured it was just 'cause she was the baby, or maybe Mom always wanted a girl. But then their dad got fired and started drinking all the time, and Gladys took Jellybean to Toledo and left Jughead behind.

But that's not the end of the world. That just started it, because when Jughead asked her why she didn't want him, Gladys said: _I'm sorry. I love you, but you're not really my son._

Jughead's 14 and he knows better, but he hung up on her and threw an empty bottle at the wall anyway. He cut his hand picking up the shattered pieces.

Except that was yesterday, and now the cut's at least half healed. And it was _bad._ Stitches bad. Bad enough he was glad FP didn't ask about the bloody gauze when he staggered home.

That's not strange for him, though. Jughead heals fast, always has. Just like he almost never gets sick, or how he's a little stronger than a kid his age, maybe. Or how he's hungry all the time.

It wasn't strange how Gladys was always tight-lipped and angry about it either, like when his broken arm healed in three weeks instead of four, or his roughhousing bruises disappeared in a couple days. She was angry about a lot of things, mostly FP's drinking.

None of it was strange, until Gladys left with Jellybean and not him. Until _you're not really my son_. And now _everything's_ strange, and Jughead's in Pop's with an uneaten cupcake at 11:49 PM.

Because he _knows_ he's Gladys Jones' son. He looks like her; he looks like Jellybean. He's seen the picture of him as a wizened, incubated baby, with tubes everywhere and terror behind his parents' smiles. So if he's not really her son, what the hell is he?

His laptop's in his schoolbag, but using it for this feels too real and incriminating. Instead he has a creased napkin and a pen. So far he's written:

~~**Inhuman?**~~ **Epidemic too recent & no rock cocoon**

~~**Alien?**~~ **Too X-Files (Feeling alien =/= actual alien)**

**Mutation? Normally bad tho.**

~~**Experiment?**~~

**Lab Experiment?**

He almost crosses it out again, then hesitates. It's ridiculous, more _X-Files_ stuff. But there's a precedent. 

**I'm not Captain America.**

He's not. Of course he's not. That's just…that's crazy Spielbergian bullshit. Captain America can throw motorcycles like tennis balls. His broken bones heal in days, maybe hours. He leads the Avengers. He's fought aliens and won. The only time he ever even got hurt was when he fought the Winter Soldier in 2014. And that was only because… 

Jughead stares at the napkin. His pen ink has leaked through, covering half of the **I'm not Captain America**. The napkin tears when he jerks the pen away. 

He bought the _Time Magazine_ edition about Bucky Barnes, spent all his allowance on it and read every single word. He knows how Barnes was tortured and brainwashed, and used for experiments. 

**I AM NOT BUCKY BARNES**

It's stupid. Ridiculous. _It's ridiculous._ Jughead may be a writer, but he's not delusional. He knows just because something is _possible_ doesn't make it _likely._ He's just an ordinary kid who can do some unordinary things, that's all. He's not… _that._ He can't be. 

His dad may be a Serpent, but the Serpents aren't Hydra. Why would Hydra be interested in him, anyway? When would they have even done anything to him? He's pretty sure he would've noticed being strapped to a fucking table. The only time he was a hospital patient in his whole life was when— 

That picture: A tiny, wizened, sickly baby. Tubes and wires and breathing mask and his parents trying not to cry. 

That's the only photo like that. All his other baby pictures are happy, chubby, healthy ones. That picture he found loose, tucked into the back of the photo album, like his parents didn't want it. 

Well, who would want to remember that their firstborn almost died? 

His dad calls it a miracle that Jughead survived, born too soon like that. "But now look at you, huh? My big, strong, smart boy. Best thing I've ever done." And FP hugs him and laughs every time, happy like he means it. 

Gladys never talks about Jughead's birth at all. 

The circle of ink on the napkin is obscuring **Lab Experiment?** but it doesn't matter. It's in his head now: Two words and a question mark for the end of the world. 

It's ridiculous. Bullshit. Delusional. But he's strong and never gets sick and heals faster than anyone he knows. And the only people on Earth like him were lab experiments. 

Jughead needs to talk to FP. He needs to find out what the hell this means. But, his dad will be drunk. Or with the Serpents. Or both. And what would Jughead ask him anyway? _Was I an experiment, Dad? Is that why Mom doesn't love me?_

It's so stupid. Gladys has so many reasons not to love him. 

Jughead wads up the napkin and stuffs it in his pocket. He'll burn it when he gets home; can't be too careful in a town like this. 

He eats the cupcake because he's hungry. He kind of wants to throw up, afterwards. 

The ink leaves stains on his hands. 

**Author's Note:**

> [Here is my Tumblr. :D](http://taste-is-sweet.tumblr.com/) Come say hello! :D
> 
> And, if you'd like me to write a fic just for **YOU** (angsty or otherwise!), [you can bid on a fanfic from me for the Fandom Trumps Hate auction!](https://fth2018offerings.tumblr.com/post/169407294874/tasteissweet-fth-contributor-page) (Any fandom on my AO3 page is fair game, including Riverdale, of course. xD )


End file.
